


Sharing Is Not Always Caring

by stonyandco



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Baby Peter Parker, M/M, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Parenthood, Possessive Steve, Rumors, Superfamily, Superfamily (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 13:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13168035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonyandco/pseuds/stonyandco
Summary: Ever since Peter was adopted, the media has been extra annoying. More rumors and more hounding to try and get at the new family. Steve doesn't like that and is making sure Tony knows he doesn't like it.





	Sharing Is Not Always Caring

**Author's Note:**

> For the stevetonysecretsanta on tumblr.
> 
> This was written for @sambuckying, who wanted some possessive!steve as well as likes superfamily, so here it is! Hope you enjoy it!

Ever since Peter was adopted, the media was worse than they had ever been before. Steve and Tony had kept quiet about everything during the entire adoption process, fearful that it would fall through at the last second for a dumb reason, so outside of Pepper, the adoption agency, and the boy’s aunt, no one knew what the couple was up too. While the team was not thrilled with being kept in the dark, they understood Steve and Tony’s reasonings. The media, however, was not as forgiving about the surprise of finding out that there was a 6-month-old being in the care of the superhero’d power couple.

It started with paparazzi following them everywhere. No one could leave Avengers tower without being mobbed by cameras, all of them hoping to get a shot of Steve or Tony with the baby. Even when they did manage to leave the tower with Peter, the peace didn’t usually last more than 15 minutes before someone had spotted them and started hounding them. It led to Steve and Tony having to schedule all outings with Peter very carefully, and often at odd times of the day.

Then, the rumors started to fly. Since the media found out about Peter before Steve and Tony made any type of announcement about it, there were a lot of suspicions about how Peter came to be. The most common one was that Tony had had an affair and that Peter was the resulting consequences of his actions. Another popular one was that the boy’s family had been killed by the Avengers, and the superheroes felt guilty about it and took him in. They had heard everything from kidnapping to secret SHIELD experiment to alien baby. The last one was Tony’s personal favorite. 

Of course, there were also the normal rumors that the couple’s relationship was falling apart; they were just, more intense than the normal ones. Again, most of them were about Tony cheating and having a bastard child, but then there were different versions of that one. It was a one night stand after Steve had been paying to much attention to the Avengers, or it had been a long-term side relationship that backfired, or even that he had been sleeping around constantly, with men and women, and one night just had a miss-step. Some had nothing to do with Tony cheating, but Peter being adopted as an attempt the save the marriage because of other problems. It was a lot.

Tony was handling it pretty well. They put out a joint statement saying that they had been planning to adopt for a while and that Peter was brought into their lives on purpose and that they both loved him and each other very much still. He knew that was all they could do, and when asked, he would just repeat what was said in the statement, because that was the truth. If they wanted to keep making more rumors, as long as it wasn’t affecting his family, he didn’t particularly care.

Steve, on the other hand, was not doing as well as his husband. Everyone always seemed to want a piece of his husband and his child, and he was not happy about it. Whether it was everyone wanting to meet and play with the new baby, or someone needing Tony for SI stuff or whatever, it seemed like he could never spend time with just his husband and their son, and it was wearing on him. Steve was snippier with people and did whatever he could to make sure Tony and Peter were either in the Tower or with him, though he preferred for both to be true.

It was especially bad because of this new deal that was happening at Stark Industry. There was another company that was apparently in the process of being bought by them, so Tony had to spend a lot of time working on the deal with the owner of said company. Apparently, the owner had a thing for Tony and didn’t try to hide it, at least according to what Steve had heard from Pepper. Tony always said that it was nothing, and in the past, Steve thought nothing of it. He trusted Tony. He really did; the rumors and the timing were getting to Steve though. He didn’t like idea of that guy openly flirting with his husband, and the rumors that were constantly flying, and everyone wanting a piece of his family, especially the media, and it was driving him up a wall.

Of course Tony had noticed that Steve’s behavior started to change. He noticed the snide comments Steve would make to try and keep Tony from going to business meetings. He noticed the way he was always physically close to Tony when any other people were around. He noticed that Steve didn’t like leaving Peter alone with other people unless he knew Tony was going to stay with Peter, even people like the team and Pepper, who were practically family. 

Tony noticed, but he let it slide for the most part. Coughed it up to getting used to the major life change that having a child brought. Tony let Steve do what he needed to do and didn’t say much of it. Sometimes he would tease him a little, make fun of him for getting so protective, but he would always try to indulge his husband. He kept letting it slide, until one day, he couldn’t.

It had been two months since Peter was adopted, and six weeks since the media circus had started. They had relented a little, but not nearly as much as they had hoped. There was still a huge crowd of reporters at the front of the building. Tony was entering the kitchen, where Steve was feeding Peter breakfast, looking to get a cup of coffee before a meeting with Evans, the owner of the company that is being bought.

“You know,” Tony started, reaching for a coffee cup, “We should really consider leaking some pictures of Peter to the press. It would get them off our backs a bit. Maybe do a professional photo shoot or just ones that we took on our phones. We could be in them even, holding him or playing with him.”

Tony watched his husband as he spoke, trying to act like he was more concerned with his coffee while he gauged his reaction. Steve scrunched his face, not looking thrilled with what Tony was saying, though he didn’t turn his attention to Tony as he continued to feed Peter.

“I really don’t like the idea of the whole world having access to pictures of Peter. He’s our son, not the rest of the world’s,” Steve said firmly.

“I know, and I get that, but the paparazzi aren’t gonna back off until they have some decent pictures of him, whether it’s ones that were leaked or taken by them. Might as well give them what they want to get them off our backs.” Tony knew it was probably going to be a losing battle, but he needed to try.

“I think the media should learn to mind their own fucking business,” Steve said harshly, though making silly faces at the giggly Peter.

“Hey!” Tony scolded playfully, “Watch the language in front of the baby. I’m pretty sure we don’t want his first word being a special four letter one.”

Peter responded with babbling, as though to prove a point. What point, neither of his parents could tell. Steve sighed as he started to clean Peter up, as he was done with breakfast.

“I’m sorry, but I just think giving the paparazzi’s what they want is just going to keep bringing them back. And Peter is part of our private life, and I’d kind of like to keep him out of the public eye.” Steve picked up Peter and put him on his hip when he was done cleaning. Steve turned around and looked at Tony for the first time since he entered the room, who was in a full suit, leaning against the counter, drinking his coffee.

“Why are you dressed up?”

“Meeting with Evans. Got some last little details to go over before he sells us his company. Shouldn’t be more than a few hours,” Tony reassures him, but Steve was not having it.

“I thought Pepper was dealing with him?”

“Why? You worried he’s gonna steal me from you?” Tony said cheekily as he finished his coffee. Steve glared at him, obviously not finding the joke funny, to which Tony sighed.

“She did, mostly, but there were a few things he insisted I be there for. It’s just this meeting, and then the official signing next week, and then I’m done with him.” Tony said, planting a kiss on his husband’s lips as he took Peter from him as well, walking out to the living room to sit and play.

“I’ll go with you then,” Steve spoke after a minute, having followed them and watched from the doorway. Tony looked over at him like he had said he had just given birth to a chicken.

“Babe, I love you, but you are not going to the meeting with me.” 

“Well, why not?” Steve said, getting a little defensive. “He knows we’re married, but that never seems to stop him from hitting on you at every opportunity. Maybe having me around will actually make him think twice about it.”

Tony rolled his eyes, before cooing to Peter, “Daddy’s getting a little possessive now, isn’t he? Isn’t he?” Peter giggled and squirmed little happy baby squirms, happily agreeing to whatever had dad was saying.

“Peter agrees. Your possessiveness is getting to be a problem.” Tony turned to Steve, saying it in a mock serious voice, to which Steve reciprocated in rolling his eyes.

“I still don’t see why I shouldn’t,” Steve grumbled, moving closer to his family, but still standing.

“Well first, I’m a big boy who can handle myself, and has never once given you a reason to not trust me.” Steve blushed a bit in embarrassment to the fact that Tony had just stated matter-of-factly.

“I know, but still…” Steve mumbled, not really having anything to say to that.

“And second, it would mean that you have to leave this-” Tony paused to blow raspberries on Peter’s check, making the infant burst into more giggles- “little one with someone who isn’t you or me.”

At that, Steve knew Tony had won. As much as he didn’t want to let Tony go to the meeting without him, he definitely wasn’t ready to leave Peter with anyone else. Tony sighed, standing up with Peter, and walking to his husband. He gave Steve a quick peck on the cheek before cupping his face and connecting their gaze.

“Where has this possessiveness come from? It hurts a bit to think that you don’t trust me around someone, even if they do flirt with me, and it worries me a bit that you’re so possessive about Peter as well,” Tony said in concern. 

“I don’t like sharing,” Steve mumbled.

“Really? I couldn’t tell by how willing you’ve been to let Peter and I be with other people,” Tony said, more with concern than actual bite. Steve sagged a bit at what Tony was saying, knowing he was right.

“It’s just that everyone seems to want a piece of my family all the time,” Steve confessed. “The media wants pictures of Peter or friends want to play with him; People want interviews with you and forget that you’re married and think it’s okay to flirt with you like you’re not. You guys are my family, not there’s. I don’t like feeling like I always have to share you guys.”

Tony smiled, handing Peter to Steve, before wrapping both of them in a hug, to which Steve quickly reciprocated.

“We will always be your family first and foremost. You aren’t going to lose us just by sharing us with others,” Tony reassured.

“I know. It just feels like it sometimes. I don’ want to share my family. I don’t think the constant hounding of reporters and rumors flying everywhere are helping either though.”

Tony gave Steve a kiss on the lips before pulling back from the hug, looking at his eyes again.

“Yeah, the media has absolutely been bothering you more than usual lately, but it probably doesn’t help that you’re also trying to be a parent as well as deal with them. I promise though, that after my meeting, we will figure out a game plan on what to do about them. Got it?”

Steve chuckled a little, “Yeah, got it.”

“Good,” Tony responded, “And don’t worry. You don’t have to share us all the time. Sometimes I kind of like seeing you get so possessive of us.”

Steve grinned and pulled Tony back in for a longer kiss than the last one, only breaking when Peter started to kick and whine from not being the center of attention.

“My family,” Steve said, arm still wrapped around Tony’s waist. “Mine.”

“Yeah babe. All yours.” Tony said with a smile, Peter babbling in agreement.


End file.
